| Rau | |
| Translator: | Vikrant Pande, Bharatiya Jnanpith |
| Author: | Nagnath S. Inamdar |
| Country: | India |
| Genre: | Historical fiction Romance |
| Publisher: | Continental Prakashan |
| Release Date: | 1972 |
| Pages: | 418 |
Rau (also referred to as Rauu) is a 1972 Marathi historical fiction novel by N S Inamdar. The story revolves around the fictionalized romance between real-life historical characters of the Maratha General Peshwa Baji Rao I and his second wife Mastani (born of a Hindu father and Muslim mother). The novel revolves around the outrage caused by the relationship among Baji Rao's family members and the orthodox priests.[1]
Rau was adapted into a feature film in 2015 as Bajirao Mastani, it was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and starred Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles.[2] The novel has also been used as a basis for several other films and TV series in both Hindi and Marathi since its publication.